Steve's Blog

For 60 years, the Delta Queen cruised the rivers of America, giving its passengers a unique experience of what it was like to travel America’s waterways back in the 1800’s. Then 10 years ago, it all came to a halt, and this beautiful queen was chained to a dock in Chattanooga, Tennessee. How did this happen?

Here’s the story. The Delta Queen and her sibling, the Delta King, were built in California in 1926. After years of service in California, her home port became the Queen City (Cincinnati) and remained so for nearly 40 years (1946-1985.) In 1985 the Delta Queen’s home port moved from Cincinnati to New Orleans where it remained until 2008. That’s when the wheels came off (so to speak.)

The economic meltdown happened in 2008, and the economy tanked. The owners of the Delta Queen were forced to sell her, and the new owners decided that the only way to make a profit in those tough economic times, was to go non-union. Most of the workers belonged to the Seafarers Union. They went to the Democrats in Congress (Democrats had taken over the House and the Senate in the 2008 elections), and Congress said no more exemptions – which meant, in effect, Delta Queen, you can no longer operate.

What exemption? Well, back in 1966, Congress passed a law called the Safety At Sea Act, which said no more overnight passengers on large wooden boats (the Delta Queen is almost a football field long, 285 feet to be exact, and has a steel hull and A WOODEN SUPERSTRUCTURE.) Congress weighed in, saying, in effect, “heh, read the title of the bill, we said the Safety At SEA Act, like OCEANS, NOT RIVERS. On rivers, boats are always relatively close to one side or the other. So if there was a fire, or any emergency for that matter, you could get to land fairly quickly. So we’re going to give the Delta Queen an exemption from the Safety At SEA Act.” And they did – nine times over the next 42 years. Until 2008.

Okay, my role in all this? Since Cincinnati had been the home port for most of the Queen’s working life, I’ve been fighting to get the Delta Queen the exemption she needs to operate on America’s rivers, (including the Ohio), so she can make Cincinnati a regular stop on her travels. On multiple occasions over the last ten years, I’ve offered legislation, or amendments to bills, to try to rescue the Queen. For example, sometimes I’d get it passed in the House, only to see it die in the Senate. It could get pretty frustrating.

But finally, it all came together. The Senate passed the exemption first this time, and I succeeded in getting it through the House last week, attached to Coast Guard legislation. (The Coast Guard is responsible for American maritime safety.) And yesterday, President Trump signed the bill containing the exemption for the Delta Queen into law.

Victory! Once again, the Delta Queen will be able to ply the waters of the Ohio, and the Mississippi, and the Missouri rivers, and other American waterways. This wonderful vessel, which over the years has been referred to as “the last of her kind,” “a National Historic Landmark,” “the last vestige of a proud chapter in America’s maritime history” and “the last remaining historic steamboat,” is once again free. She’s being unchained. She’s alive.

It will mean hundreds of jobs created. It’s estimated there will be approximately $100 million in economic development. And perhaps most importantly, even though Cincinnati will not be her home port (Missouri offered a greater tax incentive package than Ohio did), Cincinnati will be one of her principal stops.

And that means so many people from our area who have fond memories of traveling on her, or honeymooning on her, or merely seeing her cruise down the Ohio River through Cincinnati, will be able to once again share in the majesty of the Delta Queen. And that makes my ten year battle well worth the effort.

See you next week.